Inventors & Imposters: How History Forgot the True Heroes of Invention and Discovery

by Daniel Diehl

Who discovered America? Who invented the telephone? Who illuminated the world with the light bulb? If you thought the answers to these questions were Christopher Columbus, Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison, you may want to think again... Crossing time and continents, this page-turning book considers the case for other equally heroic, but largely forgotten, pioneers. Looking beyond popular perception and the accepted version of events, Inventors and Impostors uncovers long-lost dreams, dramas and dilemmas, exploring why particular individuals 'won the prize' while others were consigned to the shadows of history. Featuring the true stories of 14 famous inventions, no other book challenges the popular perceptions of so many inventors and discoveries through history.

176 pages, Hardcover

First published October 15, 2008

Reviews

[Jonathan Hilditch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book. Interesting how it makes you rethink what you know about history.

[Austin Savill · Rating 4 out of 5]

All my ideas of who invented certain things have gone out the window. The author does a wonderful job showing the origins of inventions, sometimes coming from the most obscure places, in comparison to where we believe they came from. There are a few things that the authors may have overlooked, such as Edison having the most patents ever, but that may have been rectified in recent printings. All in all very informative, wonderfully researched, and the tales told in a lively manner.

[Mark Donnelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mark P Donnelly